When All Else Fails
by loveliveLOL
Summary: As the stakes grow higher, Wayne fears that the Overtakers want more than to just stop the pesky Kingdom Keepers from getting in the way of their plans...They want to kill them. Wayne's plan: to go in hiding. But when the Kingdom Keepers agree that they should take charge instead of cowering inside a safe house, they're all on their own to stop the Overtakers. Will the succeed?
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! So call me crazy, but I decided to have two multi-chapter fanfictions going on at once in this category. I just knew that for all those new readers, you probably don't want to start up on a story that has thirty-five chapters so I decided to add a whole new story with a whole new plot! Now don't worry, I will be updating regularly on BOTH FANFICTION STORIES :D**

**So have no fear, I will not let you guys down! I hope you all enjoy this story! I really enjoyed writing the first chapter.**

**Without further ado...Enjoy!**

**Finn's P.O.V.**

I never knew my legs could carry me so fast. It was as if I was in no control of my body whatsoever. My arms flailed recklessly back and forth, my legs strode through the air, gliding in long strides as they meet the pavement. My quick breaths almost masked all sounds around me; sounds that I was aware I needed to be monitoring. I was not even sure how much longer I could run at this speed.

"FINN! COME ON!" a shrill pitched voice screamed. As I craned my neck up at the long structure that made up the Mayan pyramid, I noticed Amanda perched up in the pyrotechnics office, flailing her arms and legs. It was a difficult distance to tell, but it looked like she had been crying. Her complexion was an unusual beat red, and her normally big, sparkling eyes were now puffy and bloodshot. I was aware of the plan Philby had come up with to lure in the Overtakers. It was simple: all I had to do was run. Run through the world showcase and right to the Mayan pyramid, leading the Overtakers as close to the lake as possible. When I make it inside safely, Amanda and Jess were supposed to set off the fire effects, hopefully distracting the Overtakers while Wayne gets us out safely. I was now approaching the steps to the entrance to the pyramid. twenty feet, fifteen feet, ten feet...I was so close yet so far away.

"Watch out!" Willa cried, perched right inside the entranceway next to Philby, ready to hit the emergency switch to lock down the pyramid. Supposedly in case of a hurricane, the Cast Members used this button to electronically lock down the pyramid to avoid any damages inside. I craned my neck back and whipped my head around, only to come upon Gigabyte, right at my heels. He struck at me every few seconds, his gut-wrenching jaws poking out, ready to sink themselves in my skin. I knew the only way to make it was to jump.

"Be ready guys! I'm jumping in!" I shouted, beginning to make the preparations to jump the distance. Sadly enough, I was no Charlene, nor Maybeck. I can not run at incredible speeds for long times nor can I jump amazing distances. I argued with Philby, infuriated why he would choose me, plain old Finn, to complete such a dangerous task. His response was long and drawn out, and nearly put everyone asleep, but it basically summarized to: they want you the most.

I bent my knees, swung my arms behind my shoulders and flew off the ground, violently thrusting the rest of my body with me. It was about a ten foot jump, a distance not even close to my average long jump distance. My person best was only six feet and three inches, so this was going to be interesting. Afraid of the outcome, I pinched my eyes shut and braced myself for the landed, only to realize I was being grabbed at and pulled to an extreme where I thought my body was going to snap in half.

_ They got me._

"Help me out, would you, Whitman?!" Maybeck snapped. As I peeled my eyes open, I soon realized that it was him who grabbed me. He was now hanging halfway out of entrance to the pyramid, attempting to pull both his and my weight back inside. Charlene stood at his heels, holding him down so he didn't fall. He struggled, but within seconds we were flung inside. I tumbled backwards into the roughly textured floor, which unfortunately for me was made to look authentic, and not to ease falling. As my head nearly collided with the solid ground, I realized that I was being flung over someone...Then again, I flipped over someone. A soft groan came out from under me and I soon realized that I had completely crushed Charlene. As I lifted my head, I saw the door begin to slide shut and at the other end a loud, painful thump rung, echoing in the room for a couple seconds, indicating that Gigabyte had crashed.

"Hey Finn...Mind getting off of me?!" Charlene cried, pinned down on her stomach. Maybeck stood at our side, snickering like the normal jerk he is would. Once he got a good laugh out of all of this, he gave me a hand, carelessly pulling me off the ground. Next, he made his way down to Charlene, scooping her up as if she was a baby and carefully placing her back on the ground. It was evident...the daggers she was glaring in his direction.

"Eh hem..." Willa coughed, stifling her giggles. Maybeck and Charlene immediately grew red and wandered away from each other. Philby just smirked and shrugged before making his way to the trap door on the ceiling to let Jess and Amanda down. Only he would have discovered this secret trapdoor, which led to a staircase that eventually met its way at the pyrotechnics office.

"Thanks!" Jess smiled as she leapt out of the trapdoor, closing the ceiling tile down as she cascaded gracefully towards the ground. She rounded out in a pose that Charlene said is called "sticking it", receiving a round of applause from both Charlene and Willa. The group erupted into a fit of giggles as we all made our way towards the San Angel Inn restaurant, the destination where Wayne told us he had left the fob. In a letter describing this plan we just executed, his informed us that he would stop by once we returned to our beds and it was safe for him to pick up the fob. We all knew we could trust his plans without any questioning.

"Hey, ummm...Before we cross back over, do you think we could hang out a bit? I mean-we never have time to really relax and we're guaranteed that we're Overtaker free when we are locked in here." Amanda suggested.

"Why not?" Philby shrugged, deciding to mess around with an electrical box near the entrance to the restaurant that would normally not be visible to the naked eye. Yet then again, he is Philby. Lights began to flood the whole pyramid, making it much easier for us to see each other. The thin line tracing our DHIs glowed brightly, although most of our lines flickered. I knew it could only be from the fear we felt, and there was no possibility that something could be wrong with our DHIs. We all made our way to one of the tables, pulling three extra chairs so there was enough for the seven of us.

"So?" Maybeck finally said, after an awkward silence fell upon the group.

"Should we discuss tonight?" Charlene asked, although she seemed a bit distracted. She twirled her hair playfully, and I could see out of the corner of my eye that every few seconds she would glance over at Maybeck who sat next to her. Something was definitely up between the two and they weren't doing a great job at concealing it.

"I think we should wait until tomorrow until our minds are all clear and we've gotten a couple hours of sleep." Philby suggested, and soon all heads were nodding in agreement.

"I'd just like to say though...Did anyone else find the purpose of tonight's mission a little odd?" Willa asked, her eyes expressing concern.

"At first I thought Wayne wanted us to get count of how many Overtakers were guarding Epcot, but now I don't really think so. It just all seems so weird..." Philby responded.

"Well I guess we'll find out tomorrow? I think though before we go to sleep at 8:30, we should IM just to discuss a bit. Maybe there's something up with Wayne...I just have a feeling." Maybeck announced. I didn't fully agree with something being fishy with Wayne but I decided to agree in order to not cause a commotion.

"So tomorrow, 7:30 we'll all meet in our private D-Gamer room on AIM. Get to bed around 8:15 so we could all cross over. And I guess we will take it from there?" I finalized. Everyone nodded in response. I could tell everyone was drained of their energy, too tired to even say "yes", or "okay". I peered over at the fob lying in the middle of the table. As everyone wearily began to connect hands, I grabbed the fob and held it over the table, making it easier for Wayne to find later. I felt someone squeeze my hand tightly and as I looked to my left, I realized it was Amanda. Her smile was faint, and her eyes showed her exhaustion, but the squeeze back I sent her seemed to really lift her spirits as her eyes immediately lit up. And with that, I pressed the button.

**TA DA! Chapter one on my new story is now up! Woo hoo c; This was very exciting to sort of be detaching myself from "Disney Disaster: Is the Magic Gone?" but not entirely because I'll still be updating regularly on that too! It's funny, I always had thought about writing two multi-chapter stories at once, but was too afraid to. Now altogether, I'm writing four different multi chapters [some are in other categories], but I thought that was pretty cool! So what did you guys think? Good...Bad? Love...Hate? **

**Please review and let me know! I love hearing from you guys!**

**Well, ta ta for now! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello everyone! After positive reviews, I decided to continue on with this fanfiction! Yay :]**

**Sorry it took awhile to update! I've been sick with apparently a partial flu, strep, and a sinus infection...Woo hoo V.V Oh well, I'm on the road to feeling better and I wanted to celebrate with another chapter, haha! **

**So without further ado...Enjoy!**

Amanda's P.O.V.

"Manda! Wait up!" Finn called at me from a distance. I was shuffling down the hallway to lunch, my binders pressed up against my blouse, causing it to wrinkle up a bit. At Finn's call, I weaved through the enormous crowds of chatty girls, fighting jocks, and cramming study buddies to the large wall of windows that overlooked the football fields. I slipped my binders into my little Abercrombie tote bag and straightened out my shirt as I watched Finn frantically push himself towards me. By the time he had reached me, he was nearly panting but had enough energy to peck a short, but sweet kiss on my cheek. I tried to avoid blushing just in case anyone-specifically Dillard was around, for I had a feeling he was still a bit uncomfortable about Finn and I displaying our affection in public.

"Hey!" I finally spoke after and awkward minute of silence. During that time, the two of us had just been staring at each other, and we both seemed to be oddly lost in the moment.

"I wanted to talk to you about something..." Finn spoke in a hushed tone.

"Sure. What is it?" I asked, but Finn quickly grabbed my wrist in response and began to drag me away. Realizing my tote bag was still perched up against the wall, I quickly lunged forward, nearly taking out an approaching Dillard, and flung it back onto my arm as Finn pulled me away.

"Dillard alert!" I hissed into Finn's ear, as he was too busy navigating his way through the in-between-period-crowds to notice Dillard, who has been trying to keep up to our pace by jogging. Finn swerved in front of a group of guys in basketball jerseys and I as craned my neck behind my shoulder and peeked back, I noticed that Dillard was now standing in the middle of the hallway, looking around for us frantically. Finn stopped short on his heels and I nearly went flying into him, yet caught myself before my face smashed into his back. He eyed an open door to a science lab to our right and quickly hopped in, dragging me behind. Assuming this was extremely important based on his hasty attitude, I carefully closed the door behind us, hoping nobody would notice. Finn made his way to the back of the classroom, sitting on a wooden stool and pulling one beside his for myself. I scooted into it and laid my attention on his.

"So, what's so urgent that you had to pull a 007 act back there?" I asked, stifling a giggle. Finn rolled his eyes and nervously checked the clock plastered to the wall in the front of the room before pulling his laptop out of his backpack and sliding it onto the lab table.

"What is your laptop doing in school?! You know the strict policy!" I gaped, but once again, he hadn't responded to me. He opened his laptop up and clicked into AIM, and automatically a large video screen popped up with four large squares separated. In one, Willa, Philby, and Jess seemed to be waving at us. In the next, Charlene was combing her hair, using her webcam as a mirror. In the third, Maybeck sat with a frustrated expression plastered onto his face. Lastly, there was Finn and I, whom both had bright red faces and were breathing rapidly in attempts to get our normal breathing rate back.

"Woah! How is this possible?" I asked, but once again, Finn didn't respond. This time it was Philby to speak.

"With the help of Wayne, I was able to hack all of the schools' wifi networks without leaving trails, and then we were able to set up our AIM accounts so we could video chat, since I was aware that Willa had a swim meet after school, Charlene had cheer for a soccer game that I was in against her school, and Maybeck had a shift at the Crazy Glaze. It would be impossible to talk about last night before we crossed over tonight." Philby explained. Although it seemed a bit delayed on Finn's laggy computer, everyone nodded their heads in response. Charlene slipped her brush back into her school bag and turned her attention back to the group. Maybeck let out a snicker and I could tell that between the computer screen they were glaring at each other.

"So what exactly are we here to talk about?" Jess asked, her face squished onto the camera next to Willa and Philby's. The three of them didn't exactly all fit onto the computer screen, but they attempted their best. Every few seconds or so, Philby would accidentally knock into Willa's head, and it would go bobbing off the screen, or Jess would get an itch and suddenly disappear. This wasn't the greatest plan to talk, but it was the best compromise.

"We need to talk about last night." Finn responded.

"Nice way to state the obvious." Maybeck snorted, receiving glares from the entire group. I'm sure Jess and Willa would have slapped him right now if we were all together. I don't know about Charlie, though. She and Maybeck have been acting weird around each other lately. Almost the way Philby and Willa acted before they announced their relationship to the group. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has noticed this though. People have to be getting suspicious of them.

"Whatever...Well anyways, didn't it kind of seem like Wayne was setting us up for disaster? I mean, really! What was the point of last night's mission anyway?" Finn spoke before giving anyone else a chance at speaking.

"At first I thought that maybe Wayne wanted us to take count of how many Overtakers were patrolling Epcot, but now it doesn't seem that way. I really don't understand the objective for last night, besides it putting us, especially Finn, in danger. I just find it odd." Philby explained, receiving an immediate response from Willa. Her whole face lit up as if she had just been a kid who entered a candy store. She clasped her hands together in front of her and grinned.

"What is it, Wills?" Charlie asked, being her normally curious self.

"What if Wayne was trying to find new places for us to hide out? For us to escape to if we're ever in trouble?!" Willa asked.

"I guess that makes sense, but why would he need places for us to _hide_. We _fight, _not cower inside some safe house." Jess replied, and immediately everyone's curious expression turned into a look of despair. I think everyone knew what Wayne was trying to do now...

"He wants us to hide..." I gasped, receiving nods of agreement from the rest of the group.

"What does this mean for us?" Charlene asked.

"It means that the Overtakers must be even stronger now, or there's some really dangerous plan in the works that Wayne is afraid of." Philby explained. I felt a ball of foul tasting acid creep up my throat and for a second, I thought I was going to lose my lunch all over Finn. I quickly collected myself and looked back at the computer screen, only to realize everyone else looked as nauseated as I was.

"So pretty much you're saying is-" Maybeck began but was cut off by Charlene.

"They want us _dead_." Charlene finished, and Philby solemnly nodded in response. He had nothing to say, but Philby always has something to say. And you know there's trouble when he can't think of anything to point out or acknowledge everybody of. An eerie silence crept over for over a minute, and everyone stared blankly at their computer screens, attempting to comprehend the new situation. It all made sense. We had led the Overtakers to most of the places they needed to go. Now, we were just a nuisance...We were getting in the way. They could figure out the rest of it without us. They just want us out, and I had a feeling they are going to go to great lengths to achieve that.

"So what do we do if Wayne encourages that we hide?" I asked, mostly directing the question towards Philby. Yet oddly enough, Finn spoke instead. Which in a matter of fact, made sense after I took a couple of seconds to think about it. After all...He is the leader.

"We decline the offer. We fight, and we take down the Overtakers. It doesn't matter if we get hurt, or if it may be difficult. We were all chosen for this task for a reason, and I'm sure when the Imagineers came up with the idea for the DHIs, they were hoping we would be invincible and save their beloved kingdom. They are counting on us...The characters are counting on us. We can not give up. Whatever the Overtakers throw at us, we must dodge it and fight back even harder. We may not all have magical powers or can conjure spells like they can. But we are strong, we are a team. We can work together to defeat them, I am sure of it. It may take struggling...And I am most positive that there will be many bumps on the road along the way, but we can not give up. We _are_ the Kingdom Keepers, aren't we?" Finn spoke with complete and utter confidence. He spoke like a true leader, and soon a muffled applause burst through the speakers of the computer. I chimed in, mock "bravoing" with the rest of the group on Finn's fantastic speech. It was definitely motivating, and it definitely made me feel a whole lot more confident. That was until Philby decided to ruin the moment, as usual.

"So tonight...We cross over, we conjure a plan of our own, and we take down the Overtakers. But let me warn you that this will not be easy. You need to be strong. You need to prepare yourselves to witness, or perhaps undergo many injuries, you may see ones you care about most hurt or upset, and worst of all...There may be death. But always keep in your mind that this is a cause you are fighting for in your heart. So we must continue on no matter what." Philby spoke. With that, bells chimed in the distance, good-bye's were quickly exchanged, and before I knew it, Finn and I were sprinting off towards the cafeteria, attempting not to get caught by hall monitors.

**Woah, pretty intense chapter, huh? What did you guys think of Finn's speech? Was it "leader-like" enough?**

**Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention that this fanfiction takes place way after "Shell Game"! Even though we don't know what happened after Shell Game, of course, I decided to use my imagination for fun. This is a fanfiction, as we all know.**

**So yeah...What did you guys think? Good...Bad? Love...Hate?**

**Please review! I love hearing from you guys!**

**Well, until whenever I get the chance, haha. Ta ta for now!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi everyone! I know, I know! It's been a while since I've updated and I'm SUPER sorry! I've just been so busy with school, and dance and practicing my instruments for a music festival thing coming up. It's just been really hard to get to writing, especially because this chapter was going to be a difficult one to write.**

**This chapter ended up originally being over 6,000 words...But I then decided to cut it into two chapters to lessen the amount of reading for you guys and to continue the suspense I've been holding!**

**So yeah...Without further ado, Enjoy! :D**

Philby's P.O.V.

I could almost hear my heart pulsing in my chest as my feet carried me down the nearly empty hallway. I swerved through the few people who occupied the hallway, most of whom were waiting around for no apparent reason...Just to simply act "cool". I could faintly make out "Edgewood High Swimming Nationals '11" printed in bold white letters on the back of a navy blue sweatshirt from a distance, and I knew that petite girl with the dark, curly locks pulled up into a low ponytail had to be Willa. Against the orders of my coach, I had asked the bus driver to hold on for five minutes because I had "left" my shin guards in my locker. Truthfully...I just wanted to wish Willa good luck at her swim meet.

"Hold it right there!" I shouted, catching Willa's attention right before she turned to walk away. She immediately whipped around, a huge grin etched across her face, and she skipped over to me. I pulled her into a quick hug, and she frowned in response, realizing that I was in a hurry.

"How much time do you have?" she asked, anxiously twiddling her thumbs together, back and forth.

"Less than a minute if I want to actually play today." I responded, grabbing her wrists and swinging them back and forth playfully. Her body swayed gently, but she continued to display a grim expression as she sighed.

"I just wanted to wish you good luck." I smiled, and within a second her frown turned upside down and she leaned in and pecked a soft kiss on my cheek. Her lips were extremely soft and as she breathed on my cheek, a sweet, minty aroma filled my nostrils.

"How sweet! Kick some butt, 'kay? And say 'hi' to Charlie for me if you see her." Willa spoke before waving at me and sprinting away. She knew I was in a hurry and before I knew it I was sprinting as fast as my legs could carry me back towards the bus. As I approached the entrance to the bus without shin guards in my hand, I could see all eyes falling on me, slitted as if to show their anger.

"You went to go see your girlfriend, didn't you!" Joe Campbell hissed, angered by the fact that we would be late to our game because of me.

"Relax, dude. Coach isn't even here yet!" Frankie Marshall replied, and I sent over an appreciative nod for backing me up. Embarrassed, I kept my head down, peering down at my feet as I sulked to the back of the bus where I placed my stuff only a little more than five minutes ago. As if in perfect time, right as I sat down, Coach Leer hopped onto the bus, saluting to us all before collapsing into the first seat he could find. The roar of the bus' engine shook us around a bit, and soon enough we were off.

The echoing "boos" from the soccer field rang through my ears as our bus approached the entrance to the school...Great sportsmanship. I began to make my way off the bus, craning my neck upwards to try to see over the mass crowd of raunchy high schoolers, all here to watch their team win. I figured Charlene was somewhere among the cheerleaders, but if I approached her, my team would most likely beat me up for it. "Stay loyal to your team", was our motto. Apparently interacting with those from other schools during a game was not tolerated. Most of the kids on my team were not even that big of a fan of me being a DHI, as I often communicated with teen's from other schools. I finally gave up after a minute of searching when patted on the back by Frankie, who gestured for me to follow him. Our team weaved through the large crowd and made our way over to our side of the field, where three metal benches were set up with a water cooler for us. On the other side of the field, the three sets of bleachers were filled to the brim with cheering students, all who wore their school's colors.

"Dell, Frankie, Joe...You will be the first starting forwards. I expect a hard drive from all of you as you three are my fastest runners. Don't let me down." Coach Leer ordered, scribbling intensely on his play-board before giving us a peek at it. Everyone took a good look for a couple of seconds before jogging off to their positions. I took my spot at center forward, my fingers trembling slightly as my face-off opponent appeared. He was tall and lean, possibly 6"1, with jet black spiky hair and familiarly green eyes. I took a second glance at him only to realize that those green eyes were too vibrant and bright to be natural.

"Alright, you two know the rules of the face-off. Remember, no shoving." the referee spoke as he approached the two of us, dropping the perfectly rounded soccer ball right between us. I could feel my palms begin to get clammy and I could almost hear my heart beating in my chest. I bit my lip nervously as I peered up at the OTK, his green eyes staring daggers into my own. Did Charlie know that this kid was an OTK? He could be spying on her, or worse...

I frantically began to scan the sidelines, finally coming upon a familiar blonde ponytail swaying back and forth. Although her back facing towards me, I could tell it was Charlene. Although, I have no idea how to get her attention.

"Ready?" the referee asked, eyeing the OTK and me before carefully placing the whistle between his lips.

Charlene's P.O.V.

That blissful rush of adrenaline that comes with cheerleading caused my fingertips to tingle and my whole body to feel warm and fuzzy. A feeling as joyous as "all-clear", but completely different. My pom-poms rustled against each other as I waved them back and forth, riling up the cheering crowd before the first face-off occurred. I knew Philby was somewhere on this field, although I was too preoccupied to search for him. Besides, if my teammates saw I was waving to someone from the opposite team, they'd probably demote me from cheer captain.

"Hey, Char...Isn't that one of the other DHIs?" Cheyenne Walters asked, being her normally nosy self. Although my ears perked up at the word "DHI" and I immediately spun around, scanning the entire field for Philby, until I realized he was the one from the other team doing the face-off. His wild, bright strawberry-red hair waved back and forth in the wind, so I couldn't make out his face, but I could tell it was him. He apparently was trying to get my attention as well, because he was waving widely while mouthing something I couldn't understand. He seemed startled as the referee blew the whistle and immediately the kid from my team, Will Johnson, attacked the ball, beginning to dribble it around Philby. But Philby reacted quickly and countered the ball in the other direction, passing it towards one of his teammates. I honestly didn't know who to cheer for, Will or Philby. So I decided to just wave my pom-poms in front of me, hopping back and forth to keep the energy up. Right as the ball was passed back to Philby and he was about to shoot the ball into the goal, I saw him crumble to the ground, falling flat on his stomach. Everything seemed to move in slow motion around me. A chorus of screams arose and then people began sprinting towards him...Coaches, teammates, classmates. I had the desire to run and help him, but my feet seemed glued to the grass. My muscles tensed and my heart seemed to skip a beat, but I forced myself to move towards him. My arms swung freely at my sides, my feet carried me at a speed I've never recognized. I soon realized that I was pushing past people, but eventually they seemed to clear a path for me, knowing that I knew him.

"PHILBY!" I cried out, the faint image of his body appearing as I became closer to him. He was now kneeling, his head clutched between his knees and his arms wrapped around his head. He screamed out in pain, but I couldn't decipher why. He wasn't hit by anyone, he didn't trip or anything. This couldn't be an injury...Unless it was something worse.

"Let me through!" I whimpered, finally able to push past the two coaches and the referee who were kneeling at his side.

"Excuse me...What do you think you're doing?!" the referee asked, sneering at me for a second before turning his attention back to Philby.

"I'm his friend...What happened?!" I asked, beginning to kneel down at Philby's side. I was able to snake my hand through the various bodies surrounding him to grab his hand. He immediately felt my touch and grabbed my hand, tugging at it. My feet gave out and I tumbled towards him, falling through the legs of the coaches.

"Let her in, I need to talk to her." Philby groaned, slowly beginning to lift his head up towards me.

"Do you think-" I began, but was cut off by a hushing from Philby.

"She knows the school right? She could take me to the nurse or something, she has my mom on speed dial on her phone. I'll be fine...Just a cramp or something. I must be...Dehydrated." Philby slowly whispered out, yet I knew he was lying when he said he was dehydrated. I've experienced this excruciating stomach pain before, and it was because of some spell the Evil Queen put on me.

"Can you handle it, Charlene?" Coach Germain, my school's soccer coach asked. I nodded quickly and peeked back down at Philby, who was slowly but struggling to get to his feet. Coach Germain and Coach Leer grabbed his shoulders and helped him up, and then propped him against me. I awkwardly wrapped my arm around his waist and allowed him to put most of his weight on me before I began to make my way towards the school. Once we were out of reach from everyone else and beginning to reach the school, Philby turned his head towards me, a worried expression etched upon his face.

"Did you know there has been an OTK spying on you?" Philby asked suddenly. I looked at him in confusion for a second and he nodded solemnly, before his expression turned back into the twisted one, filled with agony.

"What do you mean?" I asked, holding in my gasp. The door to the school's side entrance was only a few feet away, the two doors propped open already, which helped ease the difficulty I was already having carrying Philby.

"The guy from the face-off, he's a green eyes. I think he did this to me...You know, with the help of the Evil Queen. It's the same thing that happened to you and Maybeck a couple of months ago." Philby responded, his eyes focused on the two double doors. I trudged through the open entranceway, and instead of turning to the right towards the health office, I slipped into a small hallway to the left and scurried into one of the janitor's closets. I slammed the door behind me, flicking on the light before carefully propping Philby down against the wall. He slowly eased himself down before addressing the situation once again.

"Do we tell the others?" I asked, peeking out the small window in the middle of the door to see if anyone was walking by. The hallways were completely empty. There was nobody in sight.

"We have to. We have to make sure everybody else is fine." Philby whimpered. I nodded and slipped out my cell phone, sending out a group text.

**We've got a problem. There's an OTK at the soccer game and we think with the help of the EQ that she put a spell on Philby. He's in pain...Like when Maybeck and I were. We need help. Is any1 nearby? **I sent out.

"I know I was unconscious the last time it happened...So what exactly did you guys do to break the spell?" I asked, curious and anxious.

"Well...I had an idea that we may be able to duplicate the effect of freeing the curse if Maybeck kissed you and-" Philby began but I cut him off, my teeth barred, seething with anger.

"Why didn't anybody tell me that Maybeck kissed me?!" I screamed, my fists clenched so tightly that I could feel my nails digging through my skin. I stomped backwards and leaned up against a large, plastic crate, trying to calm myself down.

"He said he'd tell you when the time was right...You know, Finn or I would have done it, but you know..." Philby began, but this time allowed me to finish the sentence.

"Willa and Amanda." I scoffed out, huffing out my last bit of anger before slipping my phone out of my sneaker.

**Jess: OMG! Is Philby OK?**

**Maybeck: How do we break 'da spell?**

**Finn: You know...**

**Charlene: Hmmm Maybeck, you may know...Think about last time.**

**Maybeck: He told you?!**

**Charlene: Yup!**

**Maybeck: I'm sorry. I was just waiting for the right moment. I was going to do it pretty soon, b/c of everything between us happening.**

**Amanda: I knew it!**

**Charlene: O hush it Manda.**

**Finn: Can we focus back on the topic?**

**Jess: Yeah. I think I'm by your school. I'm on my bike. I should be there in five minutes.**

**Charlene: If ur coming through the side entrance, go left and take the little hallway. There's a janitors closet. I'll let you in.**

**Jess: Kay.**

**Maybeck: We can't tell Willa...**

**Charlene: Duh, that's why I left her her out of the group text.**

**Finn: Smart thinking. So, Charlie or Jess?**

**Jess: SHOTTY NOT!**

**Charlene: No fair!**

**Maybeck: Great :(**

**Finn: So it's set. Nobody tells Willa. Tell Philby to feel better, and we'll meet at 8:30 like usual. Don't be l8.**

**Amanda: Got it. Byeee!**

**Maybeck: L8R.**

**Jess: C u soon, Charlie.**

**Charlene: Kay, signing off!**

I gently tossed my phone on top of the crate and shuffled back over to the door, taking another peek through the window. The school's nurse, Mrs. Desmond, a nasty lady with a huge wart on her nose trudged down the hallway, spinning around everywhere, probably looking for Philby and I. I huffed out a large sigh in annoyance and collapsed back against the crate, sliding down onto my bottom, meeting eyes with Philby, who looked on the verge of tears.

"You don't have to hold them in. You won't look weak." I giggled.

"It's not that...I'm just...Confused." Philby gritted out.

"Why confused? It would make sense that the Overtakers are sending OTKs to all of our schools. We cleared that up earlier, right? They want us gone?" I asked, still a bit unclear about our group video chat earlier. I'm not sure if my brain wouldn't comprehend it because it was confusing, or if it didn't want to comprehend it. It's hard to think someone wants you...Dead.

"Well, it's just that Wayne chose us to save the Parks and the Magic, but now he wants us to hide. He doesn't want our help...It just doesn't add together." Philby explained.

"I'm sure he's just trying to keep us safe." I replied. I allowed my hands to wander on top of the crate, until they found my phone. I snatched it and checked the time on the lock screen, realizing it's been fifteen minutes since our group text ended. I was curious where Jess was. She did say she was only five minutes away.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when the door swung open, and Jess appeared, panting heavily, her face bright red. Philby scooted over a little bit, wincing as he did so as Jess caught her breath.

"What took so long?" I asked, raising an eyebrow suspiciously at her.

"I lied...But I needed to talk to Philby. I had a dream, last night. You and Charlene were in a small, dim room, and she was kissing you. I tried to assume the best, but the whole fact has been haunting me all day. I tried to find you after school, but your bus had already left for the game, so I figured if it was going to happen, it was already too late. But now it makes sense..." Jess explained, running her fingers through her jet-black hair, which seemed freshly dyed. I peered down at Philby, bitting my lip anxiously, until I tasted the bitterness of blood dripping down my throat. Unclenching my jaw, I quickly wiped my lip and kneeled down, awkwardly scooting towards Philby.

"Remember...Nobody tells Willa." I demanded. Both Jess and Philby nodded quickly in response, and I could tell this was killing Philby. He was squirming around, and I could tell that it wasn't from being in pain. Deciding it needed to be quick and unexpected, I quickly leaned in and pressed my lips into Philby's, cringing in embarrassment. The kiss lasted a few seconds, longer than I expected, but I pulled back, wiping my lips in disgust. The pained look on Philby's face seemed to disappear and Jess and I both sighed in relief, yet the feeling from the kiss still bothered me. I felt all warm and tingly inside, and it felt completely wrong. Yet I've never actually kissed a guy...Yes, me, Charlene Turner. I've only been kissed by other guys, and both times it was to break a spell. I'm not completely positive if I enjoyed the feeling, but then again, it could have just been like that because it was the wrong person I was kissing. It should be Maybeck...I think.

Whenever I think about him, I could feel butterflies swirling in my stomach...My palms get clammy and my heart rate increases. This feeling is nothing like the one I had when I liked Finn...It's stronger; more magical.

"Feeling any better?" Jess asked, breaking the awkward silence that fell over us for the past few minutes.

"Much better...Thanks Charlie. I know it was hard to do and all, but I'm sure Willa would understand if she knew about it." Philby spoke, beginning to slowly stand up, his strength rebuilding.

"But she _won't_ find out about it." I responded sternly, making sure I was nice and clear, but I'm sure Philby didn't want Willa to find out either.

**Pretty intense chapter, huh? And it's only going to get even more crazier, just wait :]**

**I'm really enjoying writing this story, and I hope you guys are enjoying reading it!**

**So please review! What did you think? Good...Bad? Love...Hate?  
I'd really appreciate it if you let me know, I love hearing from you all!**

**Well, until next time...Ta Ta For Now!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello all!**

**I just wanted to apologize in advance, for I am going on vacation today and I won't be back until Sunday. I will be out of the country so I will not be able to update this story, or any of my other stories, and I wanted to let you all know in advance...**

**But because just an author's note is technically not allowed, I'm going to give you guys a sneak peak at the next chapter!**

_Previously on "When All Else Fails"..._

_Charlene's P.O.V._

_"What took so long?" I asked, raising an eyebrow suspiciously at her._

_"I lied...But I needed to talk to Philby. I had a dream, last night. You and Charlene were in a small, dim room, and she was kissing you. I tried to assume the best, but the whole fact has been haunting me all day. I tried to find you after school, but your bus had already left for the game, so I figured if it was going to happen, it was already too late. But now it makes sense..." Jess explained, running her fingers through her jet-black hair, which seemed freshly dyed. I peered down at Philby, bitting my lip anxiously, until I tasted the bitterness of blood dripping down my throat. Unclenching my jaw, I quickly wiped my lip and kneeled down, awkwardly scooting towards Philby._

_"Remember...Nobody tells Willa." I demanded. Both Jess and Philby nodded quickly in response, and I could tell this was killing Philby. He was squirming around, and I could tell that it wasn't from being in pain. Deciding it needed to be quick and unexpected, I quickly leaned in and pressed my lips into Philby's, cringing in embarrassment. The kiss lasted a few seconds, longer than I expected, but I pulled back, wiping my lips in disgust. The pained look on Philby's face seemed to disappear and Jess and I both sighed in relief, yet the feeling from the kiss still bothered me. I felt all warm and tingly inside, and it felt completely wrong. Yet I've never actually kissed a guy...Yes, me, Charlene Turner. I've only been kissed by other guys, and both times it was to break a spell. I'm not completely positive if I enjoyed the feeling, but then again, it could have just been like that because it was the wrong person I was kissing. It should be Maybeck...I think._

_Whenever I think about him, I could feel butterflies swirling in my stomach...My palms get clammy and my heart rate increases. This feeling is nothing like the one I had when I liked Finn...It's stronger; more magical._

_"Feeling any better?" Jess asked, breaking the awkward silence that fell over us for the past few minutes._

_"Much better...Thanks Charlie. I know it was hard to do and all, but I'm sure Willa would understand if she knew about it." Philby spoke, beginning to slowly stand up, his strength rebuilding._

_"But she won't find out about it." I responded sternly, making sure I was nice and clear, but I'm sure Philby didn't want Willa to find out either._

* * *

Amanda's P.O.V.

His limp body seemed to remain there, completely unmoving, for what seemed an eternity. His eyes pinched shut, a peaceful expression etched across his face. His arms dangled loosely at his sides, his legs crouched up against his chest. I observed anxiously from the park bench as his body remained completely lifeless for now the tenth minute. Everyone else, too, stood in awe, afraid to approach him in case it was a joke. Yet the familiar faint glow outlined his unconscious body, and that only reassured us that this was really him, unfortunately. Perhaps this was simply a prank that he, Maybeck, and Philby had pulled off. But Finn wasn't the pranking type, first of all, and secondly, Maybeck and Philby stood in place with gaped expressions just as the rest of us, just as bewildered as Jess, Willa, Charlene, and I.

"Finn..." I whimpered in a hush tone, which I thought wasn't audible enough for anybody to hear, but I soon felt a small hand squeeze my right shoulder. I craned my neck slightly over to my right and met eyes with Willa, my, metaphorically speaking, little sister, whose eyes looked as if they were filled with two ominous black holes. In front of me, Philby tentatively shuffled towards Finn, and once he reached him, he grabbed his arm and shook it gently, and I could hear a chorus of anxious gasps erupt around me. And when Philby hesitantly began to scoot around to face us, his horrified facial expression answered the only question that had been on my mind.

Finn was in Sleeping Beauty Syndrome...

**Weren't expecting that, were you? The fearless leader unable to aid his team?! What mass chaos will ensue?! **

**Well...That's for you all to find out when I get back from vacation!**

**So stay tuned, because before you know it, next Sunday will be here, and I'll be home from Sunday, my anxious fingers ready to type away.**

**Ta ta for now!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello all! Oh my goodness, have I been absent for a long time. And for that, I apologize sincerely. Life has been the upmost hectic for me lately, and I know I said I'd update right when I got back from vacation, but it just wasn't possible. Especially with a chapter like this one. It was really difficult to write!**

**This one's a bit emotional: just warning you all. You may need to whip out those Kleenex tissues, haha, I'm just kidding! But there's also some cute romantic scenes hidden in!**

**Also, for all those following "Disney Disaster: Is the Magic Gone?", the next chapter for that will be up soon, I promise! It's been difficult writing three multi-chapter fanfictions at the same time, two of which belong to the same category, and the other for a different book. Not to mention schoolwork, homework, and extracurricular activities. Hopefully by the summer when school's out I'll get two chapters out a week! Unlike how it used to be when I first started fanfiction: a chapter out every single day!**

**Anyways, I also have an announcement to make! I am looking to do a Kingdom Keepers collab with another Fanfiction writer, possibly two. For those who don't know what that is, basically you work with another writer, or two, come up with a plot, and each person takes a turn writing a chapter. It's really cool and you get to see stuff from multiple writers. If you're interested, private message me and I'll let you know if I would like to collab with you or not. **The only thing is, I'm looking for a developed, well rounded writer. And you have to have experience writing a Kingdom Keepers multi-chapter before!** We will both come up with the plot together! It's not a one-sided thing. We both contribute.**

**Well, enough with my babbling. This has been a long intro. Without further ado...ENJOY!**

Amanda's P.O.V.

His limp body seemed to remain there, completely unmoving, for what seemed an eternity. His eyes pinched shut, a peaceful expression etched across his face. His arms dangled loosely at his sides, his legs crouched up against his chest. I observed anxiously from the park bench as his body remained completely lifeless for now the tenth minute. Everyone else, too, stood in awe, afraid to approach him in case it was a joke. Yet the familiar faint glow outlined his unconscious body, and that only reassured us that this was really him, unfortunately. Perhaps this was simply a prank that he, Maybeck, and Philby had pulled off. But Finn wasn't the pranking type, first of all, and secondly, Maybeck and Philby stood in place with gaped expressions just as the rest of us, just as bewildered as Jess, Willa, Charlene, and I.

"Finn..." I whimpered in a hush tone, which I thought wasn't audible enough for anybody to hear, but I soon felt a small hand squeeze my right shoulder. I craned my neck slightly over to my right and met eyes with Willa, my, metaphorically speaking, little sister, whose eyes looked as if they were filled with two ominous black holes. In front of me, Philby tentatively shuffled towards Finn, and once he reached him, he grabbed his arm and shook it gently, and I could hear a chorus of anxious gasps erupt around me. And when Philby hesitantly began to scoot around to face us, his horrified facial expression answered the only question that had been on my mind.

Finn was in Sleeping Beauty Syndrome...

Maybeck restrained me, yanking my arms nearly out of their sockets as he forced me back, carefully placing his hand over my mouth so I did not cry out. As much as I wanted to wail...to helplessly let everything out, I was aware that I could give away our current location. Jess and Charlene stood at my sides, each comfortingly rubbing my shoulders, hoping to relax my tensed body. Willa and Philby hovered over Finn, conversing among each other in a hushed tone. Tears streamed down my face in flows that reminded me of a raging rapid, water endlessly flowing. At my feet, a small puddle of tears began to form, a few stray drops glistening on the top of my gray Converse in the dim moonlight.

"We need to go to Wayne, he can help us." I could hear Willa say. Philby hesitated for a moment, staring off towards the castle, most likely weighing out the probability that we would all make it there safely, and that Wayne would happen to be there on this particular night. He then solemnly nodded, and his neck muscles tightened for a moment, as if he was going to turn towards us to address us, but instead he just whipped his head in Finn's direction, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Philby, something is obviously wrong with the server. Whether it's a glitch or the Overtakers, we need to figure it out." Willa hissed after an eerie silence cast itself upon the night for about a minute. Willa's voice was just loud enough to reach Maybeck, who opened his mouth to speak, but Charlie immediately realized what he was going to say and hooked her ankle around his shin, causing a small cry to escape his mouth. Philby and Willa whipped around, both displaying puzzled expressions. Out of the corner of my eye, I could make out Charlene mouthing something to Philby with a stern look on her face, and he inconspicuously nodded in response. Willa must have caught this out of the corner of her eye as well, as she quickly snapped her head over in Philby's direction, glaring at him as if there was fire in her eyes.

"What are you keeping from me?" Willa asked, her voice sounding almost hurt.

"What are you talking about?" Philby gaped, and he now began to twiddle his fingers anxiously in front of him. His normally pale complexion began to redden slightly, and I could tell his nerves were overcoming him.

"You're lying to me about something. I can see it in your eyes." Willa whimpered, taking a quick glance over towards Charlene, Jess, Maybeck, and I. Charlene began to anxiously tap her left foot against the pavement, and I could tell she would die right here, on the spot, if someone told Willa the truth about what had happened earlier in the day.

"We need to tell her!" Maybeck grunted, receiving a slap in the arm from Jess, who scowled at him with barred teeth.

"Tell me what?!" Willa cried out, her voice now ringing out, echoing far enough that someone probably heard her.

"I-I had to...It was to keep him safe, I promise. I would never do something like that to you!" Charlene cried, tears welling up in her eyes. I could tell it was killing her to do such a thing to her best friend. Charlene must have felt as if she was betraying Willa, but it was quite the contrary.

"Charlie, please tell me what happened! I promise, I won't be angry with you." Willa pled. Charlene let out a hurried nod, and anxiously ran her fingers through her hair. I've never seen her such a wreck before. Philby just remained to stand there, completely frozen, as if someone had taken a remote and put his life on "pause".

"It...It was at the soccer game. There was an OTK there, and he must have had help from the Evil Queen. They hurt Philby, the same thing that happened to me and Maybeck that one time. He was in so much pain, and we all knew there was only one way to release him from the pain, and I was the only one there. If we waited for you to come, it would have been hours, and he would be dying. So I had to...I had to kiss him." Charlene let out, almost in one breath. When she was done speaking, she ran up to Willa and collapsed into a hug with her, and Willa calmly rubbed Charlie's back in reassurance.

"Thank you Charlie. I appreciate you being honest with me. As long as Philby's okay...That's all that matters." Willa responded, glancing at Philby slightly before breaking off from her hug with Charlene.

"So now that you know, I guess we can go with that theory we were following earlier?" Jess asked openly.

"What?! That the Overtakers are trying to kill us or something?" Maybeck sneered.

"I think that's where we're getting at." Philby replied.

"Well you have to have an idea on how to wake him out of SBS." I grunted, directing my statement more towards Philby than the others. Philby took a moment to stare at me sincerely in the eyes before he glanced back down at Finn, hunching his shoulders up timidly. He took a deep breath in and held his breath for a couple of seconds before huffing out, probably a part of his "thinking process".

"I think I may have an idea." Willa piped up, catching everyone's attention.

"Well don't stall, go on!" Jess giggled, giddy with hope that we'd be able to help Finn. I prepared myself mentally just in case this plan wasn't reasonable, or it would fail.

"Philby, what if you could get into the server room down in the Utilidors and were able to manually switch Finn's DHI on, which should cause him to automatically wake up from the SBS?" Willa suggested, and we all immediately nodded in agreement. I smiled faintly, but didn't allow myself to get too excited over this, because this was just a plan. I had an odd feeling that it wouldn't be _this_ easy to release Finn from SBS.

"That's a great idea Willa! Of course, some of you should stay guard with Finn back at Wayne's apartment. So how should we split up?" Philby spoke.

"I think you, Charlie, and I should go down to the Utilidors, while Amanda, Jess, and Willa stay with Finn and Wayne." Maybeck suggested.

"Sounds like a plan. Shotty-not carrying Finn up to Wayne's apartment!" Jess chuckled. Charlene, Willa, and then myself all chimed in, and Philby and Maybeck shrugged it off in unison. The two of them shuffled over towards Finn, Maybeck cradling his head while Philby supported his legs. I was afraid that if I tried to help hold him, I would end up dropping him, but I decided to just support his back. Willa, Jess, and Charlene must have felt pity, because they were soon on my heels and we all placed our hands under Finn's back. I completely forgot that Finn was in DHI form, so he was only like 10 pounds. We were able to carry him up to Wayne's apartment with ease. When it came time to passing through Escher's Keep, Philby and Maybeck just carried Finn, because all of us huddled together would have made it impossible to cross safely.

Maybeck's P.O.V.

It was almost chilling to stare down at Finn's unconscious face. Completely expressionless, just a blank canvas waiting to be painted on. When it first occurred to me that Finn was not presently here, in terms, I didn't panic much, I was completely assured that we could handle ourselves. Yet as time slowly crawled forward, I realized this was the first situation ever where we were forced to complete a task, or mission, without the aid and guidance of our leader. When the realization hit me, I was almost fearful, because I had no idea who would take charge of our rowdy little team. You know, who would step up to the plate? Hold the responsibility until Finn returned to us. But it became blatantly obvious that none of us were the true definition of a leader as Finn was. Sure, Charlene could give a great pep talk, Philby could solve any problem at hand, Willa could strategically think ourselves out of an issue, Amanda could rescue us from any Overtakers, Jess could lead us to answers, and I could be...Well a jerk, but all those separate traits do not fulfill the character traits of a leader. Combined they do, well...Except for the whole being a jerk thing, even though Finn can be kind of jerky and cocky at times, but we all are at some point. So in my mind, I silently prayed that Willa's plan would work and our rightful leader was returned. But nobody, especially Charlene, could see the little weak spot in my heart right now.

Philby's P.O.V.

"You kids need to keep in touch with us. I suggest filling us in every five minutes with your current location and status," Wayne reminded us for the umpteenth time. All six of us stood, huddled around Wayne's cherry red couch, which at the time housed the unconscious Finn. Wayne was pacing back and forth in his kitchen, fiddling around with the walkie talkies he has yet to give us. I could tell he felt terrible about letting something happen to us, which is why for now we all decided to refrain from telling him about the incident that had happened earlier in the day. Was this what Wayne needed to close the deal? To finalize the plans that us seven Keepers would go into hiding? I wasn't sure, but I had a hunch that after today, things for us Keepers would be a lot different.

"Don't worry Wayne, we won't leave you hanging. But if you really want us to keep in touch, the walkie talkies would be really useful!" Charlene giggled. Wayne nodded quickly and began to make his way towards Maybeck, Charlie, and I, and Jess, Willa, and Amanda quickly sidestepped out of the way, making a path for him to get through. With shaky hands, the three of us were each given a walkie talkie, and Wayne held the fourth one in his own hand, his sweaty palms causing it to slip from his grasps every few seconds.

"Be safe please," Willa whispered softly, her lips gently caressing my cheek as she leaned into me and pulled me into a tight hug. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Jess hugging Maybeck and Charlene, yet Amanda stood solemnly at Finn's side, her left hand grasped onto his shoulder. Her face remained expressionless, but her eyes drooped with anguish.

"I will...We _all_ will." I replied, planting a quick kiss on Willa's cheek before spinning around to face Maybeck and Charlene, who were both standing in the frame of the door, attempting to hide their interlocked hands behind their backs.

"Would you like to share something with us all?" Jess cackled, and I quickly realized that I wasn't the only one who noticed. Charlene's normally pale complexion flushed a rosy red color, and she peered down at her toes awkwardly, unsure of what to say. Maybeck smirked and puffed his chest out, showing off that he probably finally won Charlene's heart over. Willa raised an eyebrow at Charlene, who finally stopped holding her breath and instead pecked a petite kiss on Maybeck's cheek, causing us all to gasp in surprise; Wayne was the only one to snicker.

"Am I the ladies man or what?" Maybeck shouted out.

"Sure, it only took four years for you to win me over." Charlene giggled playfully. She outstretched her right arm and gestured for me to hurry, and I quickly released my hand from Willa's, not remembering when I actually grabbed her hand, and trotted over to Maybeck and Charlene. Wayne gave us a goodbye salute, and Jess and Willa waved, shouting words of encouragement as we made our way out the door.

Only Amanda stood still, staring at us with blank eyes, fear creeping upon her zombie-like facial expression. As much as this may have seemed like a heroic, joyful leave for a big mission, I could tell that everyone deep down was taken over with fear.

**That was a pretty dark chapter if I'd say so! Poor Finn, stuck in SBS! The Keepers are going to learn what it's like to get things done and make decisions without a real leader, and we'll see who steps up to the plate until they figure out who to wake Finn up! It'll be really interesting, and I can't wait for you guys to read it! Especially because I haven't seen many Fanfictions where the author has gone to that place where Finn is of no use to the Keepers, and they are without a true leader for a certain amount of time.**

**But how about the romance! There's some Wilby, and Charlene and Maybeck are finally together! I thought this was the perfect chapter to announce their relationship. I just feel like this chapter needed some happiness to it.**

**So what did you guys think? Good...Bad? Love...Hate? Please review, and let me know! I LOVE hearing from you guys!  
Also, don't forget to private message me if you're interested in doing a collab!**


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